Mysteries: Arcana Wars

The two spent a short night in their respective rooms and met again at the police station at punch-in time.

While Klein was following Leonard to complete the work of a detective assistant, he was reviewing Scott's information from yesterday in his mind.

Scott seemed to be still quite cautious about this new online wishing machine. He just sent the email to Klein and completed the step of [inserting a coin]. As for the remaining wish, Scott did not state it explicitly, but agreed with the wishing machine to make the last wish in person in a week.

...Who is being held captive in this feeling?

I feel like I'm really being treated as an extraordinary object that can deal with troubles...

Thoughts were racing in his head, but his hands were working non-stop. Regarding the discovery of Olga Aksas' diary, Leonard decided to report it in a clever and reasonable way and enter it into the file.

And there was yesterday's bank robbery. Leonard, as the informant, had to write a report for Sivella Square as a detective today after being tormented by the Church of Night for a day, and then go out on field investigation.

The two of them worked very efficiently and submitted all the documents in a short time.

When the two finally walked out of the police station building, Leonard suddenly stopped Klein.

"Look over there, there's movement."

Klein followed Leonard's finger and saw the back street of the police station. The two looked at each other and immediately hid themselves, each releasing a spirit or insect puppet to eavesdrop.

Backlund, with a history of over a thousand years, has preserved a large number of ancient buildings, many of which are still in normal use, and the police station building in Sivella Field is no exception. Due to the constant changes in fire regulations and police concepts, there are many side doors on the ground floor of the building, leading to the surrounding paths, but due to changes in internal functions, some side doors are no longer used, while some side doors have become places for some people to avoid sight.

There was a commotion inside the door; a man and a woman were arguing intensely in low voices.

"Sheriff Hawke, Sheriff Hawke! I beg you, please help me!"

"How many times have I told you to go home and wait for our notification? Don't you understand?"

"...but you must accept my gift. I bought it on the black market at a high price. These jewels are amazing. Just take a look at them and accept them..."

"Who wants your worthless junk?"

A savage growl interrupted the other side's humble plea.

"Open your dog eyes and look. The stones here are fake! Fake! Do you understand? They are plastic! They are glass!"

"...No...but...this...you..."

"Get lost! If you keep pestering me, I'll arrest you and sentence you to assaulting a police officer!"

With a loud bang, a gray woman rolled out of the door, and the glittering silver jewels scattered all over the floor like waste paper. Then there was another muffled sound, and the heavy iron door kept him and her fake gems out.

The woman got up from the ground in a panic and rushed to the door to knock, but her raised hand stopped when it reached the door. She suddenly lost her temper, turned around and squatted slowly, picking up the ornaments on the ground bit by bit, then moved to the steps, lowered her head and sat there in a daze, holding her backpack.

A ring was handed to her.

"Hey lady, you missed this."

The woman was startled. She snatched the ring and stuffed it into her breast pocket. She stood up and took two steps back.

The person who just handed over the ring was a magician with a simple yet modern look. Behind him stood a policeman with a neat uniform and a cold temperament.

"I didn't steal! I bought these things with my own money!" the woman screamed while holding the package.

"Don't be nervous, ma'am. We trust you." The magician smiled warmly and kindly. "Is there anything we can do to help you?"

Klein suddenly felt that this was also a double act. He was using his acting skills and words to comfort the woman's fluctuating emotions, while Leonard, who was actually keeping a stern face and not saying a word, was silently releasing "soul comfort" in the back...

Under the dual comfort of words and extraordinary things, the woman gradually let down her guard.

"…You are the police?"

“…Uh…Yes! I’m just an assistant. The guy behind me is the real detective!” Klein raised his hand and lifted his hat. “Don’t worry, ma’am. If you have any questions, just go to the police!”

The woman looked at the magician with a complicated look.

"As long as you can help me, I will go with you."

She squeezed into the corner formed by the iron gate and the brick wall, like a sponge that had been squeezed and drained. After looking at the two again, she finally stretched out her feet carefully, hunched her back and held her bag, and followed the two people slowly, but kept a distance from them.

The streets of Backlund were already a little chilly in early autumn, so the two men took the woman to a not-too-expensive coffee shop on the street. Steam wrapped in the aroma of milk rose from the warm coffee cup, and the mellow liquid finally opened the woman's mouth.

"…My husband…He has been missing for over a month…"

The woman's name was Sadie Russell. Judging from her dress, she seemed to be someone who lived in an underground city near the surface, or someone who moved between the surface and the underground. She sipped her coffee, and from time to time she glanced at Leonard in his police uniform with her beautiful amber eyes.

Klein realized that in Backlund during the Bright Moon Era, people who lived on the city's borders were usually more or less wary of the police.

The deepest part of the underground city is either isolated from the world or has its own rules and order in the chaos. The area where the underground city and the above-ground city meet is often a transitional chaotic area that is still within the reach of police force.

In the eyes of the official agencies that control order on the ground, these people are targets to be governed and rectified. Thieves, swindlers, smugglers... these petty criminals like to hide in such places.

It is difficult to say who on the two sides, the police or these border residents, has greater misunderstandings and stereotypes about the other.

“I called the police...but there has been no response...

"Some people said that it was because I didn't go to arrange it, so the police would not handle reports from people like us...

"So I spent some money to inquire, and someone said that they could help me get in touch with Sheriff Nicolo Hawke. As long as I prepared the things and the price was right, the sheriff would solve any difficulties.

"I heard that Sheriff Hawke likes precious gold and silver jewelry, especially those with some mysterious legends, so I went to a pawn shop on the black market and the owner there said that these were genuine ritual objects of the Goddess of Night, so I spent all my savings to buy as many as I could...

"But I didn't expect that the boss actually lied to me. These jewels are all fake..."

Having said that, Sadie became depressed again. After taking a sip of coffee, she suddenly thought of something, raised her head again and asked tentatively.

"Are you...Detective Leonard Mitchell?"

Leonard nodded, acknowledging it.

Klein could clearly sense that Sadie was becoming uneasy. She put down her hand holding the coffee cup and repeatedly rubbed her trouser legs, looking at Leonard and then at her bag.

On the one hand, Sadie must have heard the story of Leonard Mitchell, the cold-blooded detective who often solved major cases, several times as entertainment. Frankly speaking, not many of these rumors on the fringe were true, and Sadie probably didn't take them seriously. She probably didn't expect that the protagonist really existed.

On the other hand, Klein felt that Leonard's different reputation and image gave Sadie a feeling of heresy and otherness, which was quite different from the police she generally knew, which made her feel a little overwhelmed. Judging from some of her reactions, Sadie also did a lot of petty thefts in the marginal areas and the underground city.

For people like Sadie, it is difficult to judge which type of policeman he can rely on: the policeman who only cares about money and the policeman who never cares about money and only cares about solving cases.

"I'll give you these jewels, can you help me find my husband?"

"First of all, I won't take anything from you."

Leonard pushed the bag back, which dashed Sadie's hopes again. For Sadie, if the gift was not delivered, it would mean failure.

"Secondly, although these jewels are fake, the silver on them is real. They are indeed ritual objects of the Church of Evernight and have some mysterious powers. Most people don't know that the Church of Evernight has the habit of using fake gems as ritual objects. By the way, which god do you believe in?"

"I used to believe in the Lord of Storms with my family, but after my parents passed away, I converted to believing in the lost god..."

When talking about this, Sadie's eyes were a little evasive.

"After all, my colleagues said that He would protect thieves..."

"Then I suggest you take these to the Church of Evernight as soon as possible to report the case and return them. These ritual objects cannot bring peace and good luck to ordinary people. If you are not a clergyman of the Church of Evernight, they will only bring you bad luck and disaster."

Leonard stated the facts in a cold voice. This was not a metaphor, but it was doomed in a special sense.

"the last point."

Sadie saw the detective calmly take out the terminal and electronic pen.

"Just because I won't accept gifts doesn't mean I won't take cases."